Sunday, December 28, 2014

Christmas Party #2ish

Before we headed up to Northwest Iowa,
We opened a few presents before we left on Tuesday night.

Aubrey got an Art Easel from
Great Grandma Van Grouw Bandstra 


There was a chalk side and white board marker side!

Steve surprised me with a "hydroflask" -
a water bottle that stays cold ALL DAY :)

Aubrey is too funny, she calls it an 
"art WEASEL" - lol!

the girls opening ornaments on the kitchen floor
in their jammies :)


On WEDNESDAY, December 24, we drove up to Northwest Iowa.
We stopped in DSM to make a quick Target stop but it turned into a 2 hr hiatus!
We ACCIDENTLY locked our keys in our car at the Target!
It took TWO HOURS for our Roadside Assistance to bring someone to help us.
At least it was a Super Target, so we ate lunch, visited the restroom about 4 times
and crawled around the dining center!
What an outfit!

So, after a LONG day out and about on the road,
we brought some more presents for the girls
to open in front of Grandma and Grandpa Van Grouw!
The girls were excited to be out of the car and open presents!
They traveled SUPER well, so they deserved it.

Christmas Eve at G and G Van Grouws




Daddy getting all the tags off


Avery was more interested in Grandma's toys

FROZEN towel!

Daddy spoiled the girls and got them some
PUMA "track suits" ;)



"Little Critter" book

bathtub basketball hoop and balls for Avery 

matching Christmas jammies!


bedtime stories with Grandpa VG

girls in the Christmas jammies with Grandma VG :)

ready for Christmas in the morning!

Sickness...:p

It's been a rough week or so in the Kaisand house 
And we are hoping we are nearing the end.

It all started last Thursday night as Aubrey woke up
Several times in the night crying and was inconsolable.
We figured out that night that her tonsils were very pussy and large.
I took both girls into the doctor Friday morning
And got Aubrey on meds for tonsillitis.
I was hopeful I could get Avery's second dose of her flu shot
while we were there, but she was starting to run a temp, too!

Meanwhile, Grandma and Grandpa Van Grouw 
We're on their way over for a fun-filled weekend
(Or so we thought).
Friday night basketball game,
Saturday: gymnastics show, family pictures, and presents
And Sunday would be Aubrey's first church Christmas program.

Friday night game went fine and got everyone to bed 
Until 11:00 pm and Avery is screaming her head off.
We tried until 2:00 to get her sleeping with us or on us
Or on the couch or the chair and nothing worked! 
Finally I put her in her car seat and she slept!
(I should have had her ears checked when we were at the doctor on Friday!)

Right about ten minutes later Aubrey got sick with the stomach flu
All. Night. Long.
We were running out of blankets and pillows!
Amidst Aubrey being sick, Avery threw up in her car seat
Several times that night, too! 
Oh. My. Word.
We were going from one girl to the other, about every half hour!
NO ONE got much sleep that night! It was ridiculous!

Finally when morning came, we sent mom and dad home immediately
And said SO SORRY after they ran to Hyvee to 
Get us some Pedialyte, crackers, and 7up.
By morning, Aubrey was out of bed but still not doing the best.
Her tonsillitis was getting the best of her since she couldn't take those meds
since she wasn't eating or drinking anything yet.
Both girls laid around all day and tried to get better.
The t.v. was on all day long and Aubrey napped on the couch periodically.

Sunday morning was supposed to be Aubrey's first church program
But since she was still running a temp because of her tonsillitis
and hadn't really eaten a lot,
She had to miss it and she was super bummed!

Sunday night I ended up getting the stomach flu
And Steve was about eight hours behind with his sickness.
How terrible!
Monday Steve and I were really not feeling good yet
So the girls had free reign of the house
And actually, they were super good for being neglected all day.
Needless to say, the house was a disaster!

The plan was to head up to NWI on Wednesday
So that gave us a bit of time to disinfect, do tons of wash and pack.
Neither Steve or I had an appetite for quite awhile.

Tuesday, I noticed that my ear was really hurting and felt like an ear infection.
So, I decided to call in and see if they could give me something over the phone
Since I had just been in with both girls over the weekend
And really did not want to go in again!
Unfortunately, they recommend that I go in.

So, I scheduled a late apt. for 6:30 that night.
And sure enough, the on call doctor felt very sorry for me
And gave me an antibiotic AND Tylenol with codeine!

Well, now all three ladies of the house were on antibiotics
and have had most of the illnesses going around!
Now, I guess it was time to celebrate Christmas
and hopefully don't pick up anything else or spread it, either!


Saturday, December 20, 2014

1-4

Friday night was an away game vs. Grinnell.
I typically would not take the girls that far by myself, but 
We had company so it was manageable.
Grandpa and Grandma Van Grouw came down for the weekend
And joins us for the game.
We picked up McDonalds on our way and ate it in the van.

As far as the game goes, we knew it would be a tough game 
Since Grinnell is at the top of the conference.
The first quarter the girl did pretty decent
But gave up a bit on themselves and let
Grinnell go on a little run.
The final score was 70-36 and continuous clock 
For most of the fourth quarter due to a 35 point deficit.

There was a weird thing that happened during the first quarter....
I didn't see it, since I was paying more attention to my girls, BUT
Apparently the ref called a foul on one of our girls who 
Wasn't even near the ball.
Steve immediately stood up and stopped the game to ask again 
Who the foul was on. 
The ref asked three different people and they all 
Said the wrong number! 
Steve, and many in the crowd could not believe it!
Sure enough, Steve looked back at the film
And the refs were completely wrong. Oh boy!

We didn't stay for the boys' game, and made it home by 9:00
Which was a good thing, since our night would
All too soon, become quite ridiculous, filled with sickness!
More on that another time....


Sunday, December 14, 2014

Christmas Party #1


Christmas Party #1 is officially in the 2014 books.
We celebrated with Grandpa and Grandma Betty,
along with our family, Dan, Andrea, and Noah, 
Grandpa Craig and Grandma Char, on Saturday. 
Here are some of the highlights.

Uncle Dan and Avery (and the beloved blankie)

3 grandkids that were there:
Aubrey (3 1/2) Noah (20 months) Avery (9 months) 

Avery's first Christmas present opening.
It was a chunky puzzle with music.

Aubrey opening her present from G and G Betty

Yay! Dora and Sophia socks!
(along with home-made Barble clothes from Aunt Avis)

Aubrey helping Avery

 See N Say Farm Toy - LOUD!

Magna Doodle!

Noah thought Aubrey's present was pretty cool, too!

Teaching Aubrey how to play Tic-Tac-Toe

Grandma Char reading the Christmas story

Daddy snuggling with Avery
(Daddy was the tired one ;))

Grandma Betty with Avery

what is with my blinking girls all. the. time. ;)

Merry Christmas!

Saturday, December 13, 2014

1-3


Friday night brought our first away game of the season.
With our McDonalds drive thru food in tow, 
The girls and I made the quick trip over to Pella to play PC.
We were met there by Grandma Char, Grandpa Craig,
Andrea, Noah, and Grandpa & Grandma Kaisand.

The first half the girls played decent, but things quickly 
Got out of hand when PC went on a shooting spree
And we were four of twenty-seven from the field. Yikes.
We had some good looks, but the shots would not fall, unfortunately.

Coming out of halftime and into the third quarter, 
The girls had lost their intensity and looked a bit tired,
Both physically and mentally.
With PC, once you're down, it's a long uphill battle 
For the remainder of the game.
The Little Hawkeye Conference is a tough one this year
And no game will be easy for us this year. 

There is a bit of a break until next Friday
Where the girls travel to a very tough Grinnell team. 

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Aubrey's Christmas Program Songs Practice- videos

Here is a sneak peek of Aubrey practicing her 
Sunday School Christmas program songs. 


Jesus Loves Me


Away In A Manger


Happy Birthday, Jesus

1-2


Tuesday night brought another home game for the 
Oskaloosa girls basketball team vs. Centerville.
The girls and I were joined by grandpa and grandma. 
We started off hard and came out to play. 
I think we were up 21-6 after the first quarter.
The second and third quarters slowed down a bit
But we were able to hang on to quite a lead throughout
Sealing the deal with a 54-28 win. Yippee! 
That's a nice win going into our first conference game
Away at PC Friday night.